Some Thoughts On Scientific Teams

What is a "scientific" investigation team? The popular definition coined by Ghost Hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson is one that seeks to look for natural causes first and paranormal causes only when natural explanations cannot be ruled out.

Yet, is this truly "scientific" or just a flip in the normal methodology employed for over 100 years in paranormal research?

Some people seem to define "scientific" investigation as using as many electronic gadgets and gimmicks as possible. But is this "scientific" or just "technology heavy" investigation? After all, throughout history investigators and ghost hunters have used the latest gadgets in their work.

To me, "scientific" means being neutral in our outlook and strenuous in your data collection and analysis over a period of time. Many teams today use the "investigate and forget" paradigm. In this system the team investigates and location and makes a determination: Haunted or Not Haunted. Then immediately following the TV style "reveal" the investigation is promptly forgotten. Never again are the results compared with other investigations and never again (usually) is the site reinvestigated to correlate the initial data with later information. This is especially true of "Not Haunted" locations.

Today, using the TV model the general approach in paranormal investigation is to visit a site once. If nothing is found a determination is made and the site promptly forgotten. If something is found a group might go back to a site again but even that can be a rarity if they have many cases pending.

So, how is this scientific? Science calls for testing and retesting of subjects to verify results. Once, therefore, could never be enough if the ruler of science is used. It would take multiple investigations with data being correlated over time to use the ruler of science to measure the validity of an investigation.

Likewise, groups using EMF meters, camera, recorders, and other electronic tools use the word "scientific" with abandon. Very seldom do groups analyze not just their tools but themselves.

Most investigators will tell you they are "open minded" but what does this mean? In many cases it means "I am a believer but I don't want to state that outright." This, at least, has been my personal experience. After all, open minded would actually be someone who simply didn't know either way. They would be "open" to the possibility that paranormal phenomena existed but just as open to the idea that it doesn't. They should feel no stress either way.

And there's the rub. We don't really know what the innate prejudices are that groups carry within themselves. That is, in my mind, one of the most important pieces of information to have. After all, a believer will often desire proof of the paranormal and unconsciously misinterpret something to underscore that belief. Likewise, someone who is a hard core disbeliever might misinterpret something in order to simply deny that it could be paranormal in nature.

Let's look at two examples using the most frequent "evidence" gathered by paranormal groups.

In our example we have an investigator who has caught a sound on their recorder. They play it and think it says "who" in a drawn out way. They play it over and over assuring themselves they are correct. They play it for others who don't hear anything but a slight breathy noise until they point out what it says. Then, they too, can hear the "voice".  They pronounce the sound as a ghostly communication and an EVP.

Now, let's assume that we have a similar situation except this time we have an investigator who catches a very clear and audible response to the question: "What is your name?" The answer returns on the recording "I'm Mary." This recording is now played for the hard core skeptic and disbeliever who pronounces it as "radio interference" out of hand and dismisses it. When pressed on how the radio interference happened he is unable to provide any concrete data on the frequency of the recorder picking up stray signals. He simply makes the pronouncement and dismisses it as coincidence.

Who in these examples is correct? It's impossible to tell because neither has actually provided any supporting work to shore up their assumptions. What's more is that we would see that based upon their personal prejudices they are much more likely to make a pronouncement that fits their personal belief system.

Is there a way to check for inherent prejudices within groups? Certainly, tests exist that can do this and have been used in parapsychological studies for some time.

Therefore, I am suggesting that a study be undertaken of groups who hold themselves out as "scientific" and see how both as individuals and as a group they line up using such a system.

Are the people reviewing data true believers and more likely to interpret things as paranormal without supporting facts? Are they disbelievers and more likely interpret things as natural without supporting facts? Does the group as a whole exhibit an over all tendency in one direction or another?

After all, despite the popularity of the word "scientific" in TV shows, if we are to do this seriously and not as entertainment we should make use not only of gadgets but also psychological studies and common sense.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Ken on TV

Ken Summers over at Spooked! did an interview on a supposedly haunted historic town in Ohio. Well worth the watch. Check out his post about it at his blog and be sure to click his link to see the actual interview!

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

SPI at the Library

Here are some photos from a lecture SPI Central gave at the Scottsdale Public Library on 10/29.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Are EVP Just Radio?

EVP's are just radio signals. That's one idea thrown out by hard-core skeptics. Yet, they have failed to produce any hard evidence to back it up. EVP's are "ghosts" communicating. That's the other end of the spectrum thrown out by true believers and yet they have failed to produce any hard evidence to back it up.

As always, I don't care which group is correct. What I care about are facts and figures. Whichever notion holds weight, or neither, I am willing to accept the conclusion if it has been properly tested, data recorded, and results analyzed.

So, in this vein I am thinking of trying a new experiment that would correlate local radio transmissions in a broad range with EVP captured during investigations, even those we might normally throw out as inconclusive.

We use hand held walkie-talkies at large investigations which operate in a narrow Citizens Band range. We've never noticed interference with audio (other than the obvious direct recording when the volume is turned up) although we have noted they can interfere with K2 meters.

Yet, I would like to look at a broad range of radio signals. What if the local cops are transmitting something? A HAM radio operator nearby? What about old die-hard CB fans on upper channels?

The only way to correlate these transmissions is to use a wide frequency scanner and record this radio traffic during an investigation. Then, by reviewing that audio alongside the EVP audio we could see if any transmissions overlap with an EVP response. This would either rule in or rule out radio interference when the data are analyzed over time.

I know that skeptics insist on the use of a Faraday cage to limit radio interference, yet, few groups actually use them and they can be faulty. A serious study showing that radio does or does not contaminate digital or analog audio could help lay to rest the controversy once and for all. Proving that EVP can be contaminated when used without shielding can go far in invalidating many of the claims floating about and retesting with the cages could prove conclusively a method to safely gather audio data. Likewise, showing conclusively that audio is not contaminated by radio signals could remove one argument against EVP as a legitimate phenomena (although other questions would remain).

So, I am thinking of getting a wide frequency scanner like the following:

200ch 800Mhz Compact BC-95XLT Scanner  (bc-95xlt)

200 Channels / 10 Banks!

• Compact Design , easy to program - The Uniden BC95XLT is designed to be compact for added flexibility and portability!
• Easiest To Use HandHeld Radio Scanner!
• Close Call RF Capture Technology - Instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters, no scanning or searching!!
• Frequency Coverage - Includes the most interesting "action" bands where you can hear police, ambulance, fire, Marine, CB, Aircraft, ham radio, public utilities, weather, and more!( 25-54,108-174,406-512,806-956 excluding cellular).
• Loaded with additional features such as 10 Programmable Search Ranges, 6 Preprogrammed Service Searches including Public Safety, Railroad, Air, Marine, CB, GMRS/FRS, Weather, News Media, Ham Radio!
• Backlit Display - Easy night time operation with Uniden's Patented Backlight-On-Squelch feature that illuminates when there is channel activity.
  Also has Priority Scan, built in attenuator for strong signal areas, new blue color & more!!
• Requires just 2 optional 'AA' Batteries, regular or NiMi rechargeable,(batteries can be charged while in the scanner) Ac Adapter/Charger Included. See our Batteries Category for Super 2650mA AA cells!
• PC programmable w/ Optional Cable & software Too!
• GREAT GIFT IDEA!!

Yes, it is a great gift idea. Unfortunately, in today's economic climate the price tag of $117.97 is not in my budget. But, if you're interested in this study or idea and would like to help out. Or if you enjoy the blog and would like to chip in here's your chance.

Click the button below to contribute $1 or more toward this piece of equipment and study. When I publish the results I'll be sure to include a special thanks to you in the final draft.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

A Sneaking Suspicion

In the past I've had discussions with other team members of my group on press coverage. We don't garner a lot of press attention, for the most part, although we are one of the most active and professional groups in the area. Various theories have been bandied about as to why this is including the fact that we don't seem to actively seek attention.

That's part of it. Although we do have a full time publicist on staff now who handles media inquiries and public appearance inquiries, mainly due to the press coverage of Paul's gadgets.

Over the past couple weeks my usually anemic Google News alerts for "paranormal investigators" and "ghost hunters" have been exceptionally full.

Perusing the results and reading numerous articles by the local "community beat" reporters in the run up to Halloween has led me to a sneaking suspicion as to why we tend to get overlooked in the local media.

That suspicion is that we are too serious. Ninety Nine percent of the stories I've read seemed to be poking fun at the subjects of the reports, albeit tongue in cheek. In some cases the reporters presented the interview subjects as downright kooks. In every case, they related things to TV shows and pop culture.

As I looked more and more at fledgling groups out there who are clamoring for media attention it became fairly obvious what happens. Many of these groups are very enthusiastic and gung-ho in their pursuit of anything paranormal. Most will produce "evidence" that would make seasoned pros roll their eyes in disbelief. Many are not well-spoken on their sites with frequent grammatical and spelling errors in the most basic statements.

Certainly, such innocent and enthusiastic hobbyists make easy fodder for the annual "inside joke" perpetrated by local reporters assigned to do the obligatory "Ghost Hunters" or "Paranormal State" tie-in for their newspaper or TV station.

In all of the articles I have read over the past two weeks leading up to Halloween only one has been somewhat serious and covered a highly trained and professional group.

That's really a sad commentary not only on the state of paranormal investigation but also on the state of reportage in local markets.

Here's a news flash for the next local reporter looking for the "Halloween" tie-in. Try actually reporting a story. Look for the groups in the field who are doing solid research and work. Try finding out just what they've uncovered about paranormal phenomena and more importantly what they have disproved. Don't rely on rehashes of the script from Ghost Hunters to establish the "scientific" credentials of a group but look at what they produce for long term research and study.

As for the folks out there just getting started. Before you start clamoring for press coverage, learn the ropes. Study, research, talk to people who've been doing this and for God's sake, turn off the TV it is NOT a classroom!

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

SPI on Community View

This past weekend Sonoran Paranormal Investigations, represented by Paul Bradford and David Delgado were featured on "Community View" a public affairs program geared toward the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The program airs on Arizona Public Media (PBS).

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Ken on the Edge

My pal Ken over at Spooked! and Queer Paranormal was interviewed for an article in New York's Edge Magazine on gay ghosts and hauntings.

Please take a look at the article titled: "Are There Gay Ghosts?"

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

New EMF Study

A new report by Christopher French of London College details an experiment he conducted using a fake "haunted room". Building upon Michael Persinger's experiments and his newer work attempting to link EMF and haunting phenomena, French and his team constructed a room fitting out with electromagnetic generators and low frequency sound generators.

Subjects were placed in the dimly lit and cool room for a period of time and told they might experience some "unusual" sensations. Each participant was rated on the Australian Sheep-Goat scale which seeks to classify where someone falls on the scale between true believer (sheep) and hard core skeptic (goat).

The average EMF generated was in the range of 50 microtesla or 500 milligauss. These are huge readings and far above anything someone might experience in their home or a "haunted location." Most homes with decent wiring have base readings of around .1 mG. The spikes near refrigerator coils and appliances sometimes reaches 50mG (5 mT). It is rare to find anything approaching even 100 mG.

However, the researcher reported that during their experiment many people felt odd sensations ranging from dizziness to even terror. Yet, the results ranged through both the control group and the group actually receiving the bursts of EMF and/or Low Frequency Sound. At the end of the experiment French's team could not conclude that EMF or LFS had played a significant role in the reported phenomena and reactions.

French insists such research can reveal important truths about the human mind, including questions of memory and delusions. "Within psychology, people talk about reality monitoring, trying to understand how we make distinctions between mental events and events that take place out there in the real world," he says. "It's something we take for granted: Did you really lock the door before you went to bed, or did you just think about it?" On the extreme is schizophrenia, in which the brain makes no distinction between the real and the imagined.

"There's a continuum, and this kind of framework is useful when you're talking about hallucinatory experiences," French says. "People are mistaking their attribution, feeling a product of their own mental processes as something that's taking place in the real world. Anything that can lead to making your mental events more similar to events that take place—a vivid imagination, for example—will make it more difficult to distinguish between the two."

French noted that he began his study of parapsychology by visiting supposedly haunted places. He has theorized, not to originally, that people in those situations or who are hunting ghosts "psych themselves out" and imagine noises, shadows and other things that aren't in existence in reality. "I wish it was a bit more spooky," he says of his time waiting for apparitions to appear in dank, musty castles. "I'm sitting in the dark, in the cold. I wish something more would happen."

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

The Solitary Practitioner

In Wicca there is the concept of "solitary practitioner" this is someone who does not belong to a coven or other group but practices their religion and craft alone.

Recently, I've been finding more and more solitary practitioners of paranormal investigation. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, although I suppose it could get a bit unwieldy if called upon to investigate a large place. However, among those I've come across a few who aren't actually established as investigators or consultants.

These are folks who would like to have a group but can't quite seem to make a go of it for some reason. They will continually post messages and ads saying things like "Interested in Paranormal? I'm looking for members!"

In the meantime, in at least one of these cases I've noticed a person who has taken to "investigating" his own home over and over again. Hundreds of photos of everyday objects and dust that he is convinced now are spirits or demons.

This reeks of obsession (and not the demonic kind). Here is someone who originally had some minor concerns about paranormal activity in his home. He even contacted me once and I referred him to a local TAPS affiliate. He was quite obsessed with the very ordinary claims he had and within days of me providing him the information he had "joined" a group through Meet-up. Obviously, that fell apart and he decided to start his own group. With no training, background or firm grounding in paranormal studies he since has sought "members" and cases.

Weekly he posts calls for "cases" on a social networking site. Begging people to let him investigate their homes. Weekly, he posts angry messages about how someone was "jerking him around" or "using him" and I wonder if those are in response to messages or calls he receives.

In the meantime he photographs, videos, and records his own home daily. Amassing mounds of "evidence" that are simply wishful thinking and about which no seasoned group would think twice.

I am always concerned about people who believe they have an active haunting in their home going into paranormal research right away. It is very hard to maintain a proper attitude toward claims as well as a clear head on other matters when you are already sure your own home is haunted and are under stress from that fact.

I would strongly urge those who wish to get into this field and who believe their house is haunted to wait. Do not try to enter this field of research until your own issues are resolved either by moving to a new home, having a professional and scientific group get the to the bottom of the claims, or finding some natural cause yourself.

I know from experience that people who believe their home is haunted and who then travel to other places with reported phenomena are more likely to believe there is activity and identify too closely with the client thereby compromising the necessary professional objectivity.

There are exceptional people who can rise above and do exemplary work in this situation, but those people are quite rare.

I hope the gentleman on the social networking site eventually finds a solution for his haunted home, one way or the other. I also hope he has the good sense to stop "investigating" his own home and further freaking himself out over ordinary things. Then, if he still has interest once he realizes just how rare it is to get paranormal evidence on film, I hope he will do his best to join a professional and serious research organization and work his way up from the bottom through education and experience.

Only then would he be in a position to truly assist a client rather than potentially making the situation worse for everyone involved.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

A Story from Back Home

The primary daily paper back in my part of the world ran an unusually lucid and complete story on the South Carolina Paranormal Research and Investigations (SCPRAI) team.

A reporter tagged along with them to an historic home in Anderson, SC to observe an investigation.

The story was unusually complete and lacked the usual tongue in cheek humor of most of these. It mentions the use of baseline readings, debunking, and other tools of the trade.

There were few things near the end that left me puzzled but I'll give the benefit of the doubt and say the reporter didn't understand what she was being told or simply didn't bother to ask a question and made an assumption based on pop-culture or TV.

All in all, an interesting story and quite unusual for a large daily to treat the subject with respect rather than an inside joke.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Tucson Zombie Walk

Here's a short video from last night's Zombie Walk in downtown Tucson. You'll notice about 1:20 into this clip a guy dressed as Shawn from "Shawn of the Dead" carrying a cricket bat and a large Zombie next to him. That's Paul Bradford (Shawn) and David Delgado, founders of SPI.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Ghost, Schmost...Angel, Schmangel

In a story in the Alabama Press-Register a reporter interviewed several experts on religion and its relationship with the paranormal. The article is an interesting read and I urge you to take a look at it.

In short the article discusses the various ways in which religion and the paranormal are viewed. For example, how religious based supernatural beliefs are acceptable such as a risen savior, miracles, angels, and demons while paranormal beliefs can be treated with disdain be they Bigfoot, UFO's or ghosts.

However, the most interesting parts of the article look into the relationship of religion to paranormal beliefs. According to the article Catholics seem to believe more in paranormal activity than most other denominations.

"Catholics actually score pretty high on paranormal beliefs, which if you look at Catholic theology, that kind of makes sense," said [Baylor Professor Carson] Mencken, citing the role of apparitions, such as those of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje.

It seems that for those who consider themselves Christian but do not attend church regularly there is a greater belief in paranormal events. One commentator even went so far as to claim that believing in UFOs was the "non-religious" version of believing in Guardian Angels. Interesting, concept to say the least.

Among people who self identify as spiritual rather than religious there is also a greater chance they will believe in paranormal phenomena. But, one of the most interesting observations was this:

Christine Wicker, author of Not in Kansas Anymore: A Curious Tale of How Magic is Transforming America, meanwhile, posited that one factor behind the "resurgence of magical thought" is "widespread disappointment with organized religion."

She cited Daniel Maguire, an ethics professor at Marquette University who said belief in the great faiths is collapsing. "People are looking for something to replace them, much as they did in the first century as Christianity began to rout paganism. Now it seems to be the other way around," she wrote.

Cecil Taylor, dean of the School of Christian Studies at the Southern Baptist-affiliated University of Mobile, put it this way: "In a post-Christian age, when the Christian consensus is removed, all sorts of paganism rushes in to takes its place. And I view most of these things as a renaissance of paganism."

Despite the self-serving claim that paganism is to blame to the shrinking of Christianity (a common theme of denial in that faith), the gist of the statement does seem to be true. As people turn away from the major religions they seem to clasp onto paranormal phenomena with the same vigor and zeal.

Certainly, some of the strongest believers are those who were once very religious or brought up in religious homes but turned away from those beliefs for some reason. Now they seem to cleave to ghosts and orbs with the same religious devotion and view anyone who dares to point out an error in those beliefs as an "unbeliever" and scorn them. Most serious researchers have been in this situation.

Of course, many of these post-religious zealots eventually become "investigators" themselves and like Biblical Archaeologists often bring their strong convictions with them. This makes their work sketchy at best as everything is tweaked to fit within their neo-religious notion of how the Universe functions in much the same way Biblical Archaeologists working for fundamentalist universities will interpret archaeological ruins to fit their Biblical notion of history.

The article makes some excellent points, although I would argue that Southerners are less likely to believe in ghosts. In my experience the opposite is true. Despite religious leaning it is such a current within folklore that very few people I have met in the South don't have some story of a ghostly encounter to share. In this case, I think they were trying to rationalize their findings among Fundamentalists by consciously ignoring a paradox between religion and regional culture.

At any rate, interesting read.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

London Meets Arizona

The London Times travel reporter visited Jerome and checked out the Jerome Grand Hotel and it's famous ghosts...

The word was that the ghoulish denizens of the Grand Hotel in the old Arizona mining town of Jerome are fond of fiddling with visitors' toiletries. Why on earth would they be interested in your mangled toothpaste tube and travel-size shampoo?

 

The hotel used to be a hospital serving copper and gold miners in the boom of the early 1900s, so perhaps cleanliness is as vital for the paranormal inhabitants of today as it was for the flesh-and-blood patients of yore.

 

Guests at the Grand often report the sound of deathly groaning and consumptive coughing coming from empty rooms and hallways at dead of night. I am scared of the dark, so I was secretly relieved that the wandering spirits left me alone.

 

“I've had guests who stayed in your room come to me and say that they dreamt of a nurse walking about at the foot of the bed with a clipboard,” said Ingrid, one of the receptionists. “Others say that things were moved around in the bathroom.”

 

Her colleague Bob nodded gravely. “There are a couple of rooms that used to be called ‘the death rooms' because patients were moved there if they were likely to die in the night. Guests have woken to the sound of people struggling for breath,” he said. In most hotels that means you can hear your neighbours' hanky-panky, but in the Grand it is a haunting.

 

The hotel's original grille-fronted lift is still in working order, but is also said to be haunted by a hospital worker who was decapitated by machinery in 1935. A maintenance man is also believed to have hanged himself in the basement. “Mind you, that probably happens all the time at some hotel chains, but you don't get to hear about it,” Bob said.

Unfortunately, the reporter did not meet any ghosts. Such is life in the world of ghost hunting but even more often in the world of real paranormal investigation.

Jerome does remain one of my favorite little Arizona towns. I do prefer it to Tombstone, although I fear it will eventually become a "ghost tour" wasteland like Tombstone is now. Yet, for the time being it remains somewhat less "touristy" and charming.

Even without a ghost sighting the town provides a great weekend getaway. I strongly suggest the Mile High Inn which is LGBT Friendly (and owned) and comes with a Victorian lady and a cat! Their breakfast is also awesome. So, even if you don't find ghosts you can find some of the best pancakes I've tasted in years!

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

A Ghost Story...

I saw this video over at Spooked! and since it involves Arizona thought it might be appropriate to include it here.

This is the story of Red Feather, a half white-half Native American girl whose ghost is sometimes seen in a limestone canyon in Northern Arizona or walking along Highway 191.

Click here for map of the area.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Ghosts Gone Wild!

The news is out and the spirits at Spring Break will never be the same. Ghost Hunters producer Craig Piligian is launching a new "spin-off" of the ultra successful show on the Sci-Fi channel. According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, the new series is tentatively titled Ghost Hunters: College Edition and will feature a group of college kids who will be escorted around haunted locations by an "experienced" paranormal investigator.

There is no word yet whether the "experienced" investigator will be a member of the current cast of GH or even it's first born, Ghost Hunters International.

Obviously, this is the program that was "casting" late this Summer.

So, the GH brand expands once again with this entertainment version of very serious work. The reality of what a paranormal investigator does will be even further muddled in the public eye as GH now copies the incredibly silly Paranormal State with a group of inexperienced "investigators" fumbling around in the dark and being scared of their own shadows.

Whatever. Honestly though, my group is a member of the TAPS family. Jay and Grant founded TAPS and the TAPS Family and the original work was groundbreaking for the field in creating a large cooperative network. Yet, TAPS has become inextricably linked to GH through cross promotion and the use of the logo. As GH has become more and more an entertainment show and less a reality show about paranormal investigators that name is beginning to lose its luster.

Sure, it still opens doors to places where people are fans of the show or where businesses think being labeled as "haunted" will help their bottom line. At the same time, it makes life difficult sometimes when presenting serious research to those who are not swayed by cable ratings and find Craig Piligian's empire distasteful.

The other part of it is that everyone assumes if you do this you are working toward your own show and you went into the field in order to secure your own basic cable show. It actually can be embarrassing at times to be talking about serious ideas only to have to end up discussing GH, GHI, or soon GH: the college years.

Well, the children of our members have been itching to create SPI Kids, maybe I should call Mr. Piligian and see if he'd like to sign them up for Ghost Hunters: Elementary School Edition.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

I Have an Attachment!

On Saturday afternoon I took a quick shower. As I was washing my hair the back of my right calf began to burn very badly. Almost like someone was holding a hot piece of metal or a flame to the back of my leg. I finished my shower and jumped out. Looking in the full length mirror I noticed the area was bright red and seemed to have stripe of deeper red near the center.

All afternoon and evening the pain continued off an on. Sometimes the pain would peak and putting my hand over the area I could feel it seemed to be warmer than the surrounding skin.

Had I been burned or scratched by some unseen entity in my home?

The place has remained during the weekend sometimes being more painful and other times being fairly unnoticeable.

Today, as I was answering emails and doing some research for an upcoming investigation, I heard a strange sound.

Coming from what seemed to be the middle of my living room was an echoing and bizarre noise that seemed to undulate in pitch for a moment then stop.

Needless to say I was slightly taken aback for a moment and I'm sure my eyes widened as I furiously ran through options: a digital alarm I'd forgotten about? microwave beeping? computer in the other room? No, none of these things fit. What was the noise that seemed to float in the middle of the room?

Could I have brought home something from an investigation that was making itself known? After all, many people believe that entities can follow investigators from sites. This explains all the protection charms and things that some ghost hunters choose to do before they enter a supposedly haunted area.

What could these things be? A scratch or burn and then a disembodied sound or voice?

Many of the "ghost hunting" classes teach people that ghosts or entities can "attach" themselves to people and travel from place to place. I think of it as the "Fatal Attraction" theory of haunting. I've heard even level headed investigators swear that things have followed them home and taken up residence in their houses.

Is this what is happening to me?

Since, I am not a particularly suggestible person, I have always somewhat rejected this idea. After all, like so many things the "facts" about attachment are passed down from person to person as stories combining personal experiences with old school demonology with a little New Age thought thrown in for good measure.

So, what is my "debunk" for what is happening?

It's really very simple. In the case of the "burn" it is neuralgia or phlebitis (could be either, although the warmth leads me to phlebitis). I base that on my medical history. While I was very ill before my liver transplant my legs took the brunt of the swelling from ascities. At times they were actually twice their normal size and very painful. Of course, this leads eventually to damage of the blood vessels and nerves due to the constant pressure from fluid. Therefore, I am prone to neural and vascular problems in my lower extremities. Eventually, with a little care it will ease in a few days or a week. It is already better today.

In the case of my disembodied voice, I also noticed a metallic sound a few minutes later. In my small living room I have a large fireplace. I walked outside a bit later and noticed a large bird who had taken an interest in my chimney and was flying about. It was obvious my "disembodied voice" was actually this bird who frequents my backyard making it's usual strange noise (no, I don't know the type of bird) and that noise echoing down my chimney and out my fireplace as though it were a bull horn! The metallic noise was just the bird perching on the grating around the chimney's outlet.

Unfortunately, many people, including investigators forget to debunk in their own homes. Of course, I have the benefit of a medical background so debunking my "burn" was easy. Yet, I can imagine someone who does not understand those processes or conditions becoming concerned or jumping to the conclusion that it must be paranormal. This is especially true in people predisposed to looking for paranormal causes first or who are highly suggestible and given poor information from "experts" on the paranormal.

So, in my case, there is no attachment (sorry to disappoint) just a bird and some residual problems from a previous illness.

Remember, regardless of what "experts" say or what classes teach, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. If you want to believe a bird on the chimney is paranormal and it doesn't scare you and gives you a good story, fine. But, if it does scare you... accept that it's a bird in your chimney and get a good night's sleep.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Hot As Hell-dorado!

 

We spent yesterday (or at least a good chunk of it) at the Helldorado Days festival in Tombstone, AZ.

Helldorado was instituted in the late 1920's as an annual celebration of Tombstone's wild and wooly Old West past. During that time the town was little more than a ghost town and the festival helped attract tourists and people interested in the numerous tales involving gunfights, Silver mining, and saloons.

Today, Helldorado continues its role as a tourist draw and features Old West re-enactors and staged gunfights on the street. They also have dances, music and other special events including a large parade on the final day.

Sonoran Paranormal Investigations entered the SPIpod in the parade this year and members of our management team (and a couple of the SPI Kids) rode in the parade.

Paul took along his All Terrain Mobile Cam (the "tank") and maneuvered it down the street while walking in front of the pod and truck. Kale videotaped the parade and had a K2 to show the crowd and even checked a few of the curious kids for "ghosts".

We had a lot of fun despite the temperature being in the upper 90's and no shade in sight. By the time the parade started we were all drained from sitting in the sun waiting.

While we'd planned to park the pod nearby afterwards and meet the public and do some interviews with tourists about their experiences with ghosts and the paranormal for Parazona, we decided to just drop off the report for the Bird Cage investigation and head back toward Tucson.

By the time we got home we were all pretty much drained, hot, and sweaty. As we sat in the sun waiting for the parade to start we kept looking at each other saying: "Why are we doing this?"

We finally decided it was for fun and the parade itself was great. Perhaps, if the temperature had been where it was last week the whole day would have been great, but alas we were back to hot desert temps.

The crowds were huge for the small town and looking at the restaurants decided it'd be in our best interest to grab lunch together closer to home than brave the shoulder to shoulder crowds in the saloons and restaurants.

Maybe we'll do it again next year now that we know what the whole thing is about and know to plan for the heat and wait before the parade.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

What Do I Believe?

My friend and colleague Ken over at Spooked! had an interesting article on his blog recently where he laid out his thoughts and beliefs on a number of different "paranormal" subjects. According to Ken he decided to do this because he got tired of people saying to him "Well, you believe..." and then filling out the blank. Often the assumption of his beliefs was wrong or misinterpreted.

I think all of us have run into that at some point, especially when we write fairly regularly on the field and are engaged in research and study. People seem to assume you have a certain set of beliefs because you are even interested in the field. That's not always correct.

So, I decided that since I enjoyed Ken's article so much I would, more or less, create a meme here that explains my thoughts and ideas on a variety of paranormal subjects. Perhaps, others will follow suit. If so, feel free to send a trackback to this article for others to enjoy.

Ghosts - People assume I believe in ghosts, especially in the pop-culture way, because I work with a Paranormal Investigation group. I would say that I am undecided. I believe in the possibility of ghosts or spirits but I don't yet have the proof to say that "I believe ghosts exist." I have seen two non-vaporous apparitions in my life and they were very convincing. One was my father. Now, do I believe they were ghosts? I can't say. All I can say is what I saw. I can also say that I could have been wanting to see something and it was the power of imagination. I have no corroborating proof of what I saw. So, I have an open mind but I don't "believe" in ghosts per se and even reject the idea that if I "saw" one it would be enough for me without there being some record verifiable through independent means to review. I would always question perception without verification.

EVP - I've heard dozens of EVP recordings by people I trust. I've had them on my own audio at investigations. Do I believe they are ghosts communicating? I don't know. Not enough has been done to study the nature of this phenomenon to make me comfortable making a call. It is one reason I have instituted a long term study within my group to look at EVP statistically as well as implementing new experiments that seek to determine if these anomalies are external (meaning either a "ghost" or even audio contamination) or internal (meaning they are generated through some sort of psychic process). Once I feel comfortable stating a hypothesis based on that work then I will see what I might come up with to isolate it even further. Right now, they're interesting but the short answer is "I don't know."

Demons - I reject the idea of demons out of hand. Demons require that I assume religious doctrine is correct from the ground up. To believe that is to believe that the world was created in seven days and Adam sprung forth from the earth as a complete and fully evolved human being. It requires me to accept that miracle stories in the New Testament that mirror other mythological tales are true and are history. The scientist and historian in me must reject those claims intellectually. Therefore, I cannot accept "demons" as a reality. To me the idea of demons is simply a religious notion utilized to justify the religion in question by giving people an excuse for bad behavior or bad luck and then providing the cure in the form of religious practice. I do think that bad things happen, obviously, and I do think that sometimes people experience negative paranormal events. Yet, I cannot state with any certainty why that might be. Could it be misbehaving ghosts? Could it be psychic manifestations of inner conflict? Could it be a bunch of bull? It could be anything but I don't think it's "demons" with little horns and spiked tails, carrying pitchforks.

Cleansing - I've been known to burn a little sage or incense to "clear" my environment. Do I think I'm throwing out negative energy? Not really. To me it's a concrete reinforcement of a mental process of clearing my mind and putting things behind me. It's a way of letting go of negative feelings and emotions. I think in many cases this is what cleansings really do for people. It gives them a ritualistic way to simply put something behind them and make a fresh start. I see nothing inherently wrong with them but at the same time, I don't feel it should be mixed with scientific research or provided as a "service" by paranormal groups who purport to be researchers. It's a quasi-religious/psychological rite and should be left to those types of professionals or practitioners.

Exorcism - Nope, to believe in this I would have to accept demons as a reality and religion as absolute truth. Since I do neither I do not believe in exorcism. In fact, I think it's a terribly dangerous practice and am shocked to see the Roman Catholic church beginning to ramp up the practice once more. Demonic possession gives people a wonderful way to transfer their own emotional problems onto a third party and blame that party for their behavior or disease rather than facing it and getting proper treatment. Yes, I'm well aware of all the times that it's worked wonders. I am also well aware of all the times people have felt massive pain relief after taking a sugar pill they thought was a painkiller. The power of suggestion is wonderful but it is not usually curative.

Cryptozoology - I hold an open mind on this. While there are many of the famous stories that I have doubts about because they have been studied to the point of exhaustion with no results, I do believe we have vast areas of the world unexplored and that many surprises might be ahead.

UFO's - I believe in the possibility. It would be the height of narcissism to think that we are the only intelligent beings in the Universe. Do I believe that every bunch of mylar balloons in South America is a UFO? No. Do I believe that people are being abducted and anally probed with some frequency? No. Do I believe that perhaps we will make contact with an alien species someday? Yes. Do I think it will happen in my lifetime? No. Do I think that aliens are buzzing the planet in spaceships? Not really. I think it would be much more likely that our first contact would be similar to what we have now - unmanned probes sent to gather atmospheric and soil samples and map the planet. Not saucers driven by little green men with bug eyes playing tag with airplanes.

Orbs - Orbs are dust. While many people claim that dust orbs are a product of digital photography, they're not. Dust orbs show up on regular film as well (one of the best I ever caught was on 35mm). It is a function of flash to lens geometry. My current digital camera does not pick up orbs except when there is a LOT of dust or pollen in the air. On the other hand, my friend Sandy could get the 3 dust grains floating in a sterile room. The difference? Her flash/lens geometry is much different which allows her flash to better illuminate the dust particles in the air. Much of the claims of digital cameras picking up dust orbs more has to do with the fact that many models of digital camera are made on the same basic flash-lens distance ratio. Take a look at most cameras and you'll see what I mean. The older film cameras usually had a separate flash mounted either far to the side or on top of the camera on a hot shoe. This radically alters the angle of the flash to the lens and lessens the chance of illuminating the particles directly in front of the lens. Digital cameras with similar arrangements or with flashes that are far to the side of the lens show less dust (or almost none) than those with the flash near the lens.  That said, what about the other "orbs" people report. I believe that people sometimes can see strange lights and if you see it with your own eyes as well as on your picture afterward then it's something of interest. Is it a ghost? I really don't know. I have my doubts it would be it could be any number of natural phenomena being studied and nothing truly paranormal at all.

EMF Spikes - EMF spikes are just EMF spikes. No one has proven that they are actually ghosts. They are interesting and should be noted and studied in relation to other phenomena over a long period. Up till now, the "EMF spike signals a ghost" claim is based strictly on stories handed down from one person to another without any analysis of long term data whatsoever. If we truly studied them we might find that they are nothing paranormal at all. Perhaps that is the hesitation for many.

Psychics - I've met people who were astoundingly accurate in their readings and whom I was sure were not utilizing trickery. However, those are very few and none of them claimed or advertised themselves as "psychic" nor tried to make money from their abilities. That said, I think true "psychics" are extremely rare. For most people who claim to be psychic I think it is simply a matter of having a finely tuned sense of other people. Much like interrogators who are trained in micro-expression analysis they seem to have a natural ability to pick up on physical cues and expressions. I think many do not mean harm but because they got a few good guesses they began to get praise for having a "gift" and then took that as validation they somehow know more than others. We also have a natural tendency to remember good guesses and forget bad ones. After all, have you ever won a nice prize in the lottery? You can probably remember where you bought that ticket and when. Can you remember details of when and where you bought all the losing tickets? In other cases, I think psychics are outright frauds. These are usually the ones making millions off their "gifts" and most of the time it is nothing more than old stage trick called "mentalism" or "cold reading". It's very impressive but nothing psychic at all. I do not approve of scientific groups using psychics in investigation or as consultants.

So, there you have a brief outline of my ideas on the most usual and controversial matters in the paranormal field. Let's hear yours!

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

The Blair Witch Effect

The Travel Channel has joined the cable networks with the requisite "paranormal" show. Their show, "Ghost Adventures" follows three "paranormal investigators" who are locked into buildings alone and then proceed to have the most amazing experiences including mind numbing fear caused, ostensibly, by the myriad "evil" spirits floating around them.

I don't really want to get into a rehash of that show and its subsequent idiocy. But I do want to talk a little bit about this fad of "ghost hunting" on TV and why the whole thing is becoming damaging.

Let's turn our minds back to the Blair Witch Project. Perhaps you remember that little independent film that managed to be a box office smash. The premise was that it was the actual documentary footage of three college students who went out in the woods near Burkittsville, MD to investigate the legend of the "Blair Witch". Long story, short, the group manages to get lost, goes slowly insane, has a bunch of encounters that could be either psychological or paranormal and ends up possibly killing each other (although the film leaves it in doubt).

Now, during all this they are filming each other with night vision cameras and what not making for a compelling and dramatic show. It was so good in fact that many people believed it to be actual documentary footage and that the film was real and not staged. The film, on the strength of that belief, grossed over $248 million on an investment of just $22,000 and shooting schedule of just 8 days!

Now, let's look at the paranormal TV shows. It's hard to say how much is staged and how much isn't staged. Regardless, they know at all times that the cameras are rolling and that further episodes depend on the number of eyes glued to the screen. Now, that goes for Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Paranormal State, Destination Truth and any others I haven't had the discomfort of viewing yet.

I do think there are degrees to the amount of staging that goes on. Ghost Hunters probably has less than most of the others, but there are still times where I can feel my skeptic meter rise because someone "sees" something just out of camera shot and no camera ever turns that direction.

Ghost Adventures, I think probably ranks as the most staged and indicative of the Blair Witch Effect in all things. We have three "documentarians" making a film about something paranormal who get locked in these buildings with evil ghosts and then over a period of hours freak out continually. All that's missing is the extreme close-up confession of regret complete with snot bubble. Although, I have to say in this photo the second guy looks ready to step into the part!

So, what does it matter that these shows are on? Do I have sour grapes? No, not in the least, I've no desire to have a TV show and be part of this craziness. The reason for that is simple. If you're doing a TV show you are no longer an investigator you are an entertainer. No more will you be allowed to collect and analyze data because you will be required to make a public appearance at a comic book show or some group's "paracon". No longer will you get to research and study because your time will be taken up answering fan mail or giving interviews to promote your show.

In short, television "paranormal investigators" are not investigators at all. They are all entertainers. Their function is not to actually research the field of paranormal phenomena but to entertain the masses just as any scary movie does. While once upon a time they may have been real investigators, they are now the weekly serialized version of The Blair Witch Project.

Today the field is crowded with groups. Many of these groups have no experience in the field or dealing with clients beyond what they've seen on television. Most have not actively studied the history or ideas behind many of the techniques used beyond copying something they saw on last week's show. It's amazing to think that there are entire groups out there running around with EMF meters but no clue what it actually measures or what a normal or abnormal reading might be.

Worse yet, because people only see the "reveals" on television which are carefully set up they have no concept of the counseling and hand-holding that goes on with clients who are frightened or concerned. It's not a matter of setting up a laptop, showing a few EVPs or video clips and calling it a day. Clients often need contact for weeks or months and will request reinvestigations from time to time. Learning to deal with clients who do not have paranormal activity but are convinced they do and call over and over is something TV shows do not teach.

Beyond that, clients often have unreasonable expectations because they watch these shows. They don't realize that we are there for serious purposes and research. Some clients think it would be "fun" to have an investigation and treat it like a lark. Others see the "demon" episodes on these shows and become frightened of their refrigerator compressor turning on and off.  They see Ryan Buell doing his amateur exorcist gig and expect a truly research oriented group to do that sort of theatrical production too.

As I say to people when they tell me they watch Ghost Hunters "every week" - what we do is only superficially what they do. You aren't seeing the hours and hours of research, review, reporting, data analysis, filing, and hand-holding that goes on with any single investigation. This is not something you do for a good "scare" but because you have serious questions you want to attempt to answer.

What we do is not entertainment and we don't call it that. I just wish the entertainers would return the courtesy and not call what they do investigation.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Visit Us at Helldorado

Tomorrow the SPI gang will be in Tombstone, AZ for the annual "Helldorado Days" a tradition celebrating the frontier past of the town since the 1920's.

We'll be towing the SPIpod in the parade in the morning and afterwards will have the pod set up for tours by the public as well as chatting with people about paranormal investigation and what really goes on in a paranormal research group.

We'll also be talking to the public and collecting stories and personal experiences for Parazona, our bi-weekly radio show on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Join us for a roaring good time in Tombstone tomorrow and be sure to look for the very conspicuous pod so you can say "hi!"

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

The Nice Guy Dilemma

Perhaps there are those reading this who might wonder how I might consider myself a "nice guy" considering my willingness to take on the use of psychics, the lax data collection practices, and superstitious bent of many paranormal groups.

Yet, I'm very careful to keep my criticism in very general terms and not name names. I always hope that if the people doing those things stumble across the post they will get the point without being embarrassed publicly (although to be honest I think some folks have no shame).

My paranormal group was presented with a serious dilemma recently. It has been the policy of the group to be very polite and not publicly critical of other groups. The thought process has always been one of professional courtesy and cooperation. Yet, there are groups even within our local community who continually test that resolve through their actions. From holding séances and candle ceremonies in clients' homes to being openly rude to clients to even faking evidence, these groups continually push the boundaries of decent behavior. It becomes even more difficult to maintain a public facade of cooperation when some of these same groups openly attack the scientific and data driven work my group does.

So, imagine our consternation when we were presented with a photograph at a recent investigation as "evidence" of the purported haunting. The people who took this photograph have a local chapter in Arizona although they are based elsewhere. Yet, when handed the photograph the three of us doing the interview exchanged worried glances. From a cursory examination it was fairly obvious the photo had been faked and faked fairly poorly. Yet, here it was presented as "evidence" of how active this place was and how much "everyone" caught when they were there.

So, I did some research into the photo and found the original at the group's website. I downloaded the photo for analysis. I would say I was shocked to find it had been photoshopped, but judging from the print version I was pretty sure I recognized the Photoshop tool used to create the "ghost".  What did surprise me is that they didn't have the good sense to run it through a program to strip the EXIF data imprinted with the name of the program used to alter the photograph!

So, I then ran it through the new algorithm from Columbia University and it came back as questionable there as well (no surprise since I already had proof it had been altered).

But, here I had this obviously faked photograph being presented to us as evidence and shown to the world as evidence of a "lady in white" and also a report to write on the investigation for the group. I contacted one of our founders and discussed the situation and whether or not to include the debunk of the photo in the final report.

We finally decided that we'd put it to the entire management team to debate. How far do we take the "good guy" routine? Does it extend to ignoring fake photos presented by site owners as "evidence" just because the faking team has a local component? Do we stand up and expose groups and people faking photos or other evidence when we can be sure beyond a reasonable doubt it is a fake? How will we walk that tightrope?

In the end, it was decided to include the debunk in the report. The reasoning of the managers was that since the photo had been presented to us as evidence by the owner of the site that we had an obligation to analyze the photo as we would any photograph presented by a client and render an opinion. Just because this photo happened to be done by another group and "presented" to the site in a frame with their name and logo attached did not absolve us of the responsibility to tell the client that the photo was a fraud.

So, we'll see what fallout this brings. I'm sure we'll be hearing outraged cries in the near future about "attacking" another group. Yet, I feel in my heart that someone has to stand up to people who commit fraud, especially those who do it with an eye to developing revenue streams, media markets, and popularity. It's wrong, it's unethical, and it can be a dangerous road to travel.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

EVP and Statistics

For a number of years now my group has used a formal set of questions to lead off EVP sessions during investigations. This group of 10 questions covers the most common interrogatories in the field and are available as part of our protocols.

Yet, over time I've wondered what the point of the formal questions might be if no statistics were being collected especially statistics about not only positive responses but no responses or inappropriate responses.

After all, if you ask the question: "Was this place important to you?" and hear "ice-cream" instead of "yes" or "no" what does it mean? What if you ask it every single time and never get a response?

As our psychic friends thrive on selective memory this is also the case with this procedure. We tend to remember the times when we got a proper response and forget how many times nothing happens at all.

Therefore, I devised a new tracking system for our group that utilizes a spreadsheet that each audio reviewer uses. When checking the EVP sessions and questions they not whether the response was a "hit" meaning the response is appropriate to the question, a "miss" meaning they hear a response but it does not seem to be in answer to the direct question, or "no response" meaning nothing was heard. There is also a section for comments to list the responses that were "misses".

Into this we have also included my "number" experiment to try to isolate EVP as either external or internal as well as space for free form questions that are asked during EVP sessions.

Hopefully, over time as I gather these reports from our reviewers I will be able to provide a statistical analysis showing how often we get responses and whether those responses are accurate for the question being asked. This study should help us isolate how this interaction is occurring. Whether it is from an external source such as a radio, background noise, equipment malfunction (meaning responses that are misses will be high), from an intelligent source (meaning responses that are hits will be high) or the product of either some psychic interaction with an intelligent being (meaning hits on the number question will be high) or the product of psychic generation of the investigators (meaning the hits on the number question will be high as well as misses on other questions where investigators do not "know" a correct answer).

The resulting data may give us some clues as to what EVP really is and allow us to craft further experiments to isolate the phenomena and postulate concrete theories rather than the current field wide explanation that EVP is some sort of ghostly communication.

I'd love to see more groups doing this kind of data gathering and analysis but don't hold out great hopes of that happening. It is labor intensive and requires dedication as well as some basic ability to analyze data and draw logical conclusions. Unfortunately, most people out there prefer to do their investigation, hope to get something regardless of source and get that press release out out to the various "paranormal news" sites.

Paranormal Investigation has become a field where everyone who watches a TV show (be it any of them) feels that they can do the work with no training or experience. Many spend huge sums getting "certifications" that are meaningless because the courses themselves are based on incorrect and faulty ideas and data. The end result is a constant stream of EVP, photos, and video that are meaningless in the grand scheme of things because they are improperly analyzed and quantified over the long term.

If I had one piece of advice for people wanting to do this work it would be to eschew the "Ghost Hunting 101" classes given all over the place and instead take a class at a local college in statistics. Don't pay someone to talk to you about the theories about EVP but take a class in audio engineering and telecommunications. Instead of learning about the latest buzz on orbs take a class in digital photography and even graphic design to learn how cameras work and how photos can be manipulated so you can debunk them or analyze your own photos.

Since no one has a clue about the actual way paranormal activity operates, it is much more valuable to be grounded in real world subjects and bring that knowledge to bear than knowing all the catchphrases and latest pop-paranormal jargon or theory.

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

The KISS Principle

 Recently, there have been a few discussion on the forums at Sonoran Paranormal Investigations, Inc. concerning various ideas and gadgets people are developing or have developed for use in the field.

While I love gadgets, blinky lights and sci-fi looking tools as much as anyone, I still hold to the principle of "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Gadgets and such are great but they need to be firmly grounded in good concepts as well as proper research, experiment design, and data analysis. The greatest gadget in the world is useless unless the person using it knows it's strengths and weaknesses as well as how to collect and analyze the data it produces.

Two of my recent posts there have been about this subject and since they really capture my thought process in this field, I thought I would share them in an expanded and more narrative version here.

The first idea involved a proposal for a "battery drain meter" by a guest. In this experimental gadget idea she proposed a small meter made up of two LED lights on separate circuits. The lights would stay lit and if one light turned off but the other didn't it would prove battery drain from an external source and not equipment problems or a bad battery.

The idea being that "battery drain" on equipment happens because spirits or ghosts utilize the energy from the batteries to manifest or otherwise manipulate their environment. This has become so common an idea that it is almost accepted as fact by many amateurs in the field.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case. In most instances battery drain can be traced to old batteries, cheap batteries, exposure to heat or cold, equipment malfunction or in the case of cameras; poorly calibrated battery meters or sensors. After all, everyone has experienced batteries that seem to last forever and batteries that seem to die the day after you put them into your device.

Batteries utilize chemical processes (for the most part) to generate power. They are susceptible to environmental factors as well as manufacturing glitches. They also have a tendency to fool electronic sensors in cameras. How many times have you taken photos and your low battery indicator come on? You shut off your camera for a while and turn it back on. Suddenly the indicator is off. Is this some paranormal phenomenon? No, it is simply the way that battery meters in many devices work.

So, would the twin LED idea prove battery drain? Not really, it would be a cool gadget but as far as quantifying the data it would prove difficult to use. The reason is quite simple. The initial premise of battery drain is straightforward. Paranormal activity requires the energy produced or stored in batteries to manifest. However, by adding lights to the battery we then, of course, are consuming the stored energy and initiating the slow death of the battery. At this point we have a new variable in our experiment: what is the rate of battery drain over time of the LED light and how does the actual wiring affect the consumption of energy. We can make assumptions that it would have the same effect on both circuits, but then our data would be meaningless because we are assuming.

So, I proposed a much simpler but less flashy (and maybe less profitable) experiment. I suggested measuring the actual voltage of a battery before arriving at a location. This would be recorded. Then the battery with no attached equipment to drain it would be placed in the location of the supposed paranormal activity and left for the night. When the investigation concludes the battery is collected and again the voltage is read. Any decreases would indicate some "drain" from a source other than equipment. This data could be compared to manufacturer's specs and control tests. Over time, the data could indicate whether battery drain is an actual phenomenon or simply an anecdote.

In a similar vein there has been an accepted "theory" that EMF spikes detected either through digital readout meters or KII meters and CellSensor meters indicate the presence of spirits. Unfortunately, no one, to my knowledge has done a truly scientific study on this. It has just become an accepted part of "ghost hunter" rules of thumb.

So, I have proposed that EMF anomalies be correlated with other perceived paranormal activity. Rather than just accepting EMF "spikes" as paranormal, they should correspond to at least one other type of activity. This information should be recorded and studied to see how often EMF correlates to other activity. We should then be able to see whether EMF "spikes" might have some connection to paranormal phenomena in and of themselves or whether they are simply detections of electromagnetic fields that could be completely natural but as yet unidentified as to source.

I don't think anyone goes into this field reluctantly. We all have some deep drive and curiosity about what lies beyond (or might not). Because of that passion we often forget to do the most basic things that will advance our knowledge. After all, should we find that battery drain is ludicrous as an indicator then we can turn our attention elsewhere. If we find that EMF is unreliable we can put down the meters and look to pick up other tools.

In short, "keep it simple, stupid." Do good basic research based on facts, statistics, and sound experimental design and you will move the field much farther forward than you ever believed imaginable.

NOTE: If you enjoy my posts inspired by the forums at Sonoran Paranormal, you might enjoy experiencing a really diverse and thoughtful community first hand. Please visit the SPI FORUMS and see for yourself!

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

My Spirit Guide

I can't believe it's almost been an entire week since I sat down to write this post originally.

Unfortunately, for my blog working a full-time schedule in a new job with lots of stress is cutting into my time for writing. Fortunately, for my bank account I've got a job.

Anyway, last Saturday I had an investigation and instead of resting and napping in the afternoon I found myself watching a marathon of "Haunted Evidence" on TruTV.

This show purports to have two psychics and a "paranormal investigator" go to sites of murders and try to either solve them or at least give the police new leads on cold cases.

For some reason I just couldn't turn it off and in a fit of boredom began to wonder just how easy it would be to replicate their "readings." After all, nothing they were saying was particularly astounding.

So, on the next episode I pulled over my laptop computer and brought up Google. When they told the investigators the name of the murder victim and town I typed it into Google. Within seconds I had multiple hits on the information.

The case was a murder from 1912 in Iowa involving a family. Not only did I find a number of sites on the murders I found one in particular that was dedicated to the murders. As I watched the TV show the psychics "found" a house that they said was "connected" to the murders. Interestingly, it was the home of the first major suspect listed on the website - complete with the address and a photo of the house as it appears today. Later, it was almost as if they were reading the same site I was as they listed point after point found on the site.

The next episode brought similar results and since Michael had joined me to watch I began to give "readings" about the murder as well as predictions about what the psychics would say. Amazingly, I was 100% accurate! Michael was trying to figure out how I was doing it so I finally confessed that the name of my spirit guide is Google!

At no point in the entire program did the psychics make any hits that were not either complete guesses or were not found in the articles available through Google. The "Investigator" at one point was walking around with a K2 that was not even operating calling out "spikes" that coincided with the psychic's comments. Later he caught a number of "mist ghosts" around the psychic's head in North Dakota in 24° weather! Mist? try breath!

I am simply astounded that people continue to fall for this stuff. Even if these people were not being fed the information beforehand, it would be nothing for them to Google the site on their phones the moment they are told the city and murder victim's name.

So, I'll soon have a new T-shirt courtesy of my friend Paul Bradford that says: "My Spirit Guide is named Google!"

Technorati Tags: trutv,psychic,paranormal,spirit guide,google,television

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Caution: Ghosts Ahead

For connoisseurs of ghost tales and folklore it is easy to spot patterns in local ghost stories around the country and even around the world. Some themes just seem to be universal. Many seem to actually be cautionary tales designed to impart some wisdom or to scare the listener into good behavior.

It's interesting to watch the development of these stories over time and see how they grow out of their Urban Legend beginnings into full fledged ghost stories.

Let's take one of the most ubiquitous Urban Legends from the 1970's and 1980's among high school students. I heard this story dozens of times when I was in high school and it was always related as happening to a friend of a friend of a cousin or some such.

On the night of the prom a guy goes to pick up his girlfriend. She is beautiful in her formal dress and he is resplendent in his tuxedo. As they drive away in his muscle car he suggests they stop off and have a few drinks from the bottle he brought along. She agrees and they begin drinking (insert local alcoholic beverage of choice). He becomes drunk and crashes the car into a tree/ditch/pole. They die in the car and soon some other students come along and see the completely mangled car. Nothing is recognizable, it's just a hunk of bloody metal. (Sometimes you get a nice graphic description of body parts on the ground.) Yet, from the wreck they can hear the stereo still blasting "Stairway to Heaven"!

OK, who hasn't heard that one or some variant? It's pretty straightforward in its message: Don't drink and drive.

Yet, such teen cautionary tales eventually work their way into ghost stories. After all, who also hasn't heard of the "Phantom Hitchhiker"?

This story usually goes something like this: Someone is driving down a road and sees a woman/girl standing by the road. Sometimes she is dressed for a party, sometimes a wedding and occasionally she might be "bloody". At any rate, the good Samaritan driver stops to give her a lift. She gets into the back seat (usually) and tells the driver her address. He takes her to the address but upon arriving he looks back to see she has vanished. He goes to the door of the house and knocks. The girls mother comes to the door and explains her daughter has been dead for many months/years and she died on her prom night/wedding day in a horrible car accident at the very spot the driver found her.

Phantom hitchhikers can be found in almost every state and even in most communities. It is so common that even Wikipedia has a section on the Vanishing Hitchhiker legend.

But, how do paranormal groups separate actual claims from Urban Legends? The obvious answer is to simply require the reporting person to have experience the event. But, many groups will go "investigate" a report based on its inclusion in popular books or even word of mouth.

Of course, many authors of folklore are very blunt that they write stories, they are not, generally reporting facts. Some are very thorough in their research. I'm lucky to count two of the best among my friends and colleagues. Their books are well researched and contain stories that are based on factual accounts and historical documentation (when possible). However, other writers don't do this extra work as they are more interested in the story telling aspects.

Once these types of stories do make it into print they take on another level of validity in the popular culture. Because many people assume that a folklorist verifies the historical accuracy of an account they assume that the tale must be true in its entirety. Sometimes that would be impossible.

So, when working in the paranormal field, its a good idea to have a grounding in folklore traditions and know the tales handed down not only from generation to generation but also carried with population shifts to other parts of the country or world. That knowledge will certainly help when trying to assign a level of veracity to a reported sighting.

Happy Halloween season and hope you get to enjoy some great ghost stories, both factual and fanciful!

Technorati Tags: phantom hitchhiker,ghost stories,ghost hitchhiker,vanishing hitchhiker,folklore,urban legends,cautionary tales,stairway to heaven

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.

Out on a Limb, basically...

There are so many "theories" in paranormal investigation that it's actually mind boggling. Almost every day someone comes up with a new "theory" off the top of his or her head.

You'll notice that I put "theory" in quotes because these are not theories in the scientific sense. In fact, it would almost be hard to classify them as hypotheses even, although they are closer to that.

In scientific research one develops a hypothesis through asking a question, then conducting research into the various aspects of that question and other research done on the subject. Once the hypothesis has been developed and stated it is tested by constructing experiments. Preferably, the experiments test only one variable at a time in order to limit confusing or misinterpreted results. Once the results from the testing are done, they are analyzed and the hypothesis is either supported or rejected. If it is supported then it can be used along with other facts to create a theory that explains a particular phenomenon. This theory is then tested and retested over years and modified as new information is made available.

Confusing those two terms in paranormal investigation has become a pet peeve of mine recently. Groups love to talk about how "scientific" they are but put forth ill-considered hypotheses as "theories" and then never develop any rational way to study either or compile experimental data and share it among the community of researchers.

I've been following a number of conversations recently about "theories" on paranormal subjects. One recent one involves the frequency range of EVP. In this theory, EVP responses are within a certain range.

Interesting hypothesis, but is it a theory? No, in fact, even as a hypothesis it would be fairly useless. Why? Because we do not even have a clear grasp on the nature of EVP. We can "assume" that EVP are spirit communication and then say that "spirits communicate in a range of xx Mhz." However, this would be very bad science. All we could really state with any certainty is that unusual voices or noises seem to be heard in a certain frequency. But do we know where these voices originate? Are they truly spirits? Are they psychic energy? Are they radio contamination? It's hard to say and the basic research must be done first to determine the nature of the phenomenon. Now, we could gather data on the frequency ranges of the sounds but we could in no way make the leap scientifically that because a certain sound is "outside the normal frequency range of the human voice" that it is "proof" that it is paranormal.

If I had one wish in this field, it would be to slow down the rush past basic research into fanciful "theories" that sound great but are built on foundations as diaphanous as the ubiquitous "Lady in White".  Everyone wants to have the next big idea and get their name "out there". (Wherever, "there" is.)

Lots of people argue that their "theories" are advancing the field or their next big idea will "prove" the existence of ghosts. I would argue that is next to impossible. Until we have done the very basic research and can develop a clear and truly scientific theory of haunting phenomenon then all the other stuff will be fairly useless except as interesting anecdotes and stories.

I would challenge every one out there to frame their next "theory" in the following terms:

"Will what I am proposing prove or disprove the existence of paranormal phenomenon or establish a testable and repeatable process to gather information to define the nature of reported phenomena as either normal or paranormal?"

If your "big idea" doesn't work within that framework then set it aside. If your "theory" involves an assumption, i.e., "ghosts exist therefore..." then you need to start over and try to show that ghosts do exist before tackling the rest of the question.

Remember, in paranormal research and investigation we are fighting an uphill battle for acceptance and reputation. If you are going to be "scientific" in this field you have to, like true scientists, be aware that your ideas may be completely wrong.

For my part right now, I try desperately, to stick to the basics in crafting my questions and tests. I attempt to isolate a single area of reported paranormal phenomena and develop methods to test the nature of the phenomenon in an attempt to show it as either natural or paranormal in origin. When I go on investigations, I am trying to experience the things reported by believers in an attempt to better develop ways to test the nature of those events and collect data for use in analyzing paranormal phenomena and developing hypotheses based on research.

In conclusion I'd ask this of every paranormal investigator: "If at the end of the day all your tests show that paranormal phenomena (i.e., ghosts) do not exist, are you prepared to accept that conclusion?"

If you simply cannot bring yourself to say "I don't know." when asked if ghosts exist and are not willing to entertain the thought that perhaps when all the data is compiled it may be that they do not actually exist then you should not be referring to yourself as a "scientific" investigator.

Technorati Tags: theory,hypothesis,scientific process,evp,paranormal investigation,science

All content © Buck Bannister.
Buck's Ghost's and Hauntings
All Rights Reserved.